Heroes of Might and Magic 5 Dungeon / Warlock Guide (walkthrough)

Heroes of Might and Magic 5
Dungeon / Warlock Guide
by Robo Mike

The guide is for version 1.01 of the game.
(But there were no balance changes from 1.00, those losers!)
Future patches may introduce gameplay changes.



Latest updates:

*** v1.3 - June 22, 2006 ***
Castle Siege tips added.
Added War Machines -> Catapult to useful skills.
Haven't read my mail lately. Might do so in weekend.





===========================================================================
Section 0
Table of Contents
=================


 S#  code   title
--------------------------------
  0 (    ) Table of Contents
  1 (DISC) Disclaimers
  2 (INTR) Introduction / How To Use This GUide
  3 (HERO) Warlocks
  4 (SKIL) Skills & Spells
     (UHS)   A. Unique Hero Skills
     (UAS)   B. Unique Warlock Abilities
     (USK)   C. Useful Skills
  5 (BUIL) Structures
     (PLS)   A. Price Listing
     (REQ)   B. Prerequisites Table
     (BLD)   C. Suggested Build Order
  6 (ARMY) Creatures
     (CST)   A. Creatures
     (HIR)   B. Hiring and Upgrading
  7 (RIDE) Adventuring
  8 (WAR-) War
  9 (ELEM) Elemental Chains
 10 (Q&A-) Question and Answer Portion
 11 (HIST) Revision History
 12 (END-) Ending Credits
 13 (INFO) Contact Info
           Final Words





===========================================================================
Section 1 (DISC)
Disclaimers 
================

This document is (c) 2006 Robo Mike, All Rights Reserved.

The contents may be printed and saved on your hard disk for personal
non-profit use only. Any attempts to profit from this guide is
strictly prohibited.

Use of information on this guide with permission is acceptable. It took
me forever to type all this up you know!


The author will not be held responsible for game loss, personal loss,
damages or whatever inconvenience resulting from use of this guide
and the strategies herein.

Also, this guide makes use of "descriptive fantasy language". A lot of it.
So if your head spins, I also claim no responsibility for it.





===========================================================================
Section 2 (INTR)
Introduction / How To Use This Guide
====================================

Greetings!

Living underground has never been better, thanks to our cool and cozy
ventilation system (well it's just a bottomless pit, but it sure provides
a lot of air)... why don't you ask the sexy girls in the mud pools? Or the
guys at the archery range or zoo? Some people say it's too dark, but we
have enough crystal lamps to light up the prison... some people think
we're poor, but we live in luxury. In fact, we have servants to cater to
our every desire... (points at Minotaurs)

As a result of all this luxury, our glorious forces have been compared to
their pathetic crowds they call "armies"...

Cons:
Expensive units
Above average cost of creature dwellings and buildings
No buildings give extra growth for specific creatures... without sacrifices
Lower growth rate for low leveled creatures than other factions

Pros:
Generally more powerful units than everyone else
Balanced "fast creature" and "slow creature" lineup
Tough level 1 unit
Most powerful level 7 creature

When we're through enjoying our undeground resort, we can finally send
out invitations to other races to enjoy our "Dark Elf Paradise" we call
home. However, if they refuse, there is always Plan B...

We strike. The guide you will read below should help you command your
Dark Elf armies and associated slaves and... (looks at the dragons) er,
friends to victory. It's not a step-by-step instruction manual, so do
your own thing and figure out how to beat that warlord next door by
yourself!

***

To view this guide, your web browser will do for the most part. Also
use plain text editors like Notepad or Pine or something.

To quickly proceed to a desired section, search for the (CODE),
including the parentheses ( ). So if you wish to proceed to the creatures
section, search for (ARMY). (In Notepad, use Ctrl+F.)

Since this guide uses quite a bit of tables, the text must be alinged.
A fixed-width font such as Courier New will do the trick.

Suspicious? Here's a line of 75 numbers followed by a line of 75
hyphens. If they're not aligned, you better change some settings. Now.

...or else, there will be consequences.

123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345
---------------------------------------------------------------------------





===========================================================================
Section 3 (HERO)
Warlocks
================

Our glorious Campaign Heroes are excluded from this roster. They're too
busy to participate in your puny skirmishes with petty warlords...

All Warlocks start with the following stats:
1 Attack
0 Defense
3 Spell Power
1 Knowledge

Most Warlocks start with the following creature stacks:
Around 5-12 Assassins
Around 5-12 Blood Maidens
Around 0-2 Minotaurs


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A. Eruina
---------

Eruina is a true daughter of the legendary Queen Tuidhana. Though Eruina
herself does not flaunt her prestigious bloodline, preferring to be judged
on her impressive abilities, the Shadow Witches and Shadow Matriarchs of her
army support her attacks with all the fury of true fanatics.

Specialty:
Coven Mistress -  Shadow Witches and Shadow Matriarchs have a chance to
make a free additional shot at the hero's current target. Chance increases
depending on hero level.

Armies:
Starts with free Ammo Cart

Skills:
Basic Irresistible Magic
Basic Destructive Magic
Basic Attack

Comments:
Well, well. Specializing in a unit but with no stat-ups? A most unique
ability. To have a chance of a free attack from Shadow Witches, have
Eruina attack an enemy, or have Eruina cast a spell on an enemy. In the
case of multi-target effects like Fireball or Mass Decay, make sure that
the center square is on an enemy.

This is most certainly a luck-based power, so if you're a fan of the Luck
skill and Shadow Witches, maybe Eruina is your type.

In this case, Eruina can get the most benefit by combining Shadow Witches
into one stack, a strategy I don't normally recommend with other Warlocks.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
B. Kythra
---------

Kythra is one of the wealthiest leaders of Ygg-Chall. The source of her
money is no secret, as she gets it from a business in minotaur slaves that
has been in her family for generations. The slaves form the backbone of her
formidable army as well, those chosen to become warriors must first pass
through a bloody and often fatal school for gladiators.

Specialty:
Slave Driver - Specializes in Minotaurs. All Minotaurs and Minotaur Guards
in hero's army gain +1 to their attack and defense for every two levels
of the hero, starting on first level.

Skills:
Basic Irresistible Magic
Basic Leadership
Estates

Comments:
I personally don't like our Minotaur slaves on the battlefield without a
Haste spell. They're slow, and they're good for nothing except guarding
our Assassins or Shadow Mistresses.

However, Kythra is one rich b... benefactor. She already promises to
contribute 250 gold per day if she's on our side, enough to perhaps
consider hiring her... just for the money.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
C. Lethos
---------

Lethos is considered a very useful ally due to his ability to win a battle
before it starts. Though he has served many decades, his intimate
knowledge of the more exotic poisons and diseases remains undimmed. Enemy
troops approaching the field may feel the effects of Lethos's spells and
concoctions even before the fighting begins, wise enemies have been known
to start their attack by retreating.

Specialty:
Poison Master - Enemy units may enter the combat already poisoned, chances
depend on hero level.

Skills:
Basic Irresistible Magic
Basic Dark Magic

Comments:
Lethos spent too much time in his lab, with only two skills available to
him from the start. That laboratory time isn't wasted though, as Lethos
gets to poison the opponent's armies (equivalent to the Decay spell),
sometimes on more than one enemy army.

This skill of his certainly helps in every battle up to the big final
battle with the opponent's hero. It helps save troops... our troops of
course, and kill the enemy's armies like the plague.

If luck is not your thing, however, Lethos may not be for you.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
D. Sinitar
----------

The warlocks of Ygg-Chall are dark and shadowy wizards, and Sinitar is
special even among this strange group. Not only can he empower spells, but
his skill is such that he can do it while using less of his own mana. No
one is sure how he came to have this ability, but the scars on his face
tell of bargains with the dragons of shadow -- bargains that can take a
heavy toll on both body and mind.

Specialty:
Catalyst - Empowered spells mana cost is reduced according to hero level.

Skills:
Basic Irresistible Magic
Basic Destructive Magic
Empowered spells

Comments:
I don't care how much discount Sinitar's membership card gets with those
"dragons of shadow", because Sinitar gets a discount on the spell cost of
those Empowered spells. Empowered spells normally cost twice as much as
regular spells for only 150% damage. A good bargain, if you asked me.

At higher levels, Sinitar's Empowered spells are just as cheap as the
regular versions. This means 150% damage, for almost the same price as the
regular! Now that's a good deal.

Don't pass up Sorcery as a skill for Sinitar. It will ensure that he will
cast more discounted spells in less time.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
E. Sorgal
---------

Sorgal's skill in raising the battle lizards of the Dark Elves comes not
from gentleness or empathy, but from a merciless culling of the weak and a
training regimen that even the strong can fail. When they go into battle
his lizards are desperate and half-starving, in this way when Sorgal's
troops attack their mounts bite their enemies ever more ferociously.

Specialty:
Lizard Breeder - Specializes in Raiders. Raiders's special attack Lizard
Bite deals more damage, depending on hero level.

Armies:
Instead of the regular starting army, Sorgal starts with 3 Grim Raiders.

Skills:
Basic Irresistible Magic
Basic Attack
Battle Frenzy

Comments:
I wish Sorgal wouldn't starve his lizards. They're better trained, yes,
but they're only better in biting. They're not any stronger than regular
lizards.

I could think of several uses for his "ability": hmm, parking Dark Raiders
next to the enemy then have Blood Furies rush in and trigger the Lizard
Bite attack... even dual Minotaur hits... now why won't the lizards bite
when Assassins are shooting the enemy?

At higher levels, Sorgal's lizards bite for a horrendous damage bonus.
Difficult to set up, yes. A powerful character for an expert general.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
F. Vayshan
----------

Vayshan is famous for daring sorties to Irollan, where he makes grim sport
of hunting his Sylvan relatives. The reasons for his hatred are unknown,
but his troops share in his obsession. Joining Vayshan for a hunt in the
forest lands is an honor for his dark Scouts and Assassins who surpass
themselves in the hopes of winning their commanders' approval.

Specialty:
Black Hand - Specializes in Scouts. Scouts and Assassins in hero's army
gain +1 to their attack and defense for every two levels of the hero,
starting on first level.

Skills:
Basic Irresistible Magic
Basic Luck
Soldier's Luck

Comments:
Some people think Assassins deal crap ranged damage and are only most
useful for poisoning the enemy armies. Think again. With Vayshan's
ability, Scouts and Assassins do that much more damage in melee attacks
and somewhat more damage in ranged attacks.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
G. Yrbeth
---------

Yrbeth was a child gifted with powers of focus and concentration beyond
her years. Training in the eldritch arts like many of her kin, Yrbeth's
ability to focus her powers - famously displayed during an earthquake -
permits her to accumulate more magical energies than is normally possible.
The night before an important battle Yrbeth often goes sleepless,
spending hours in meditation to prepare herself.

Specialty:
Dark Mystic - Dark Ritual ability is more powerful, enabling the hero to
regenerate mana even beyond the normal max mana cap. Amount regenerated
over the cap depends on hero level.

Skills:
Basic Irresistible Magic
Basic Dark Magic
Dark Ritual

Comments:
Believe me when I say most Warlocks are dumb. They focus too much on their
Spellpower and forget about going to the library. Fortunately, Yrbeth's
Dark Ritual provides her with a huge mana pool, as if she was more
intelligent than her peers. In fact, with training, her Dark Ritual can
become even better than those double-your-magic fountains out there.

In comparison, Sinitar's discount only applies to Empowered Spells. So
think of Yrbeth as his peer...


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
H. Yrwanna
----------

Wherever Yrwanna goes she is followed by a retinue of admirers who praise
her beauty. But there is a keen intellect hidden behind the stunning
appearance, and Yrwanna knows well how to using her looks to achieve her
goals. Though Yrwanna has been known to sacrifice hundreds of her
followers to achieve victory, it has not weakened the loyalty of her
troops.

Specialty:
Blood Mistress - Specializes in Blood Maidens. Blood Maidens and Blood
Furies in hero's army gain +1 to their attack and defense for every two
levels of the hero, starting on first level.

Skills:
Basic Irresistible Magic
Basic Enlightenment
Intelligence

Comments:
Yrwanna is definitely a pick for fans of Blood Furies, one of the best
units in the game. She also starts with Intelligence, which gives her
more mana, and I can't say the same for other Warlocks with low mana
counts.

However, some commanders feel that Enlightenment is a waste of skill slots.
Well, we can't all be choosy.





===========================================================================
Section 4 (SKILL)
Skills and Spells
=================

Not all skills are suited for our glorious Warlocks. Some skills are better
than others, and I shall discuss them.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A. Unique Hero Skills (UHS)
---------------------------

Irresistible Magic -  Partially negates magic protection and allows hero
     to deal a percentage of normal spell damage to otherwise resistant
     creatures.
Basic - 20%
Advanced - 40%
Expert - 60%
Ultimate - 80%

* Yes, this means that Black Dragons in your army aren't safe from your
  own Warlock's Armageddon or Curse of the Netherworld. So leave the
  old Dragon-geddon strategy to those other heroes.

Dark Ritual - Hero spends entire day idling about to regenrate all their
     mana. Useful if there isn't a well or town for miles. Have this handy.
     Don't forget that it only works when you're hero has not moved.

* Patch 1.00 bug: Dark Ritual can't be found in Adventure Spells section
     of the spellbook. Find it in Hero Skills or even Combat Spells
     sections.

Empowered Spells - Hero can cast Destructive spells at twice the mana cost
     for 50% more damage. Helps in taking out the opponent faster. Quite
     useful, but be sure to work on your Warlock's Knowledge before even
     thinking about this.

* Patch 1.00 bug? Empowered Spells are not affected by Warlock's Luck.

Elemental Vision - Allows Warlocks to see elements associated with
     creatures... no actually, this is the skill that ALLOWS your Warlock
     to cause more damage by exploiting Elemental weaknesses... more on
     the Elemental Chains section. [see Section 9, (ELEM)]

Rage of the Elements - Exploiting elemental weaknesses causes 2x bonus
     damage. NOT WORTH IT. Just look at the prerequisites and tell me
     if a Warlock with those skills will survive the big battle. No?

Prerequisites:
Expert Irresistible Magic
Plague Tent (1)
Wizard's Reward (2)
Tear of Asha Vision (3)

1. Expert War Machines -> Catapult -> Tremors -> Plague Tent
2. Expert Enlightenment -> Arcane Intuition -> Dark Revelation
   Dark Revelation + Elemental Vision -> Wizard's Reward
3. Expert Logistics -> Scouting -> Teleport Assault -> Death March
   Expert Luck -> Soldier's Luck -> Warlock's Luck
   Death March + Warlock's Luck -> Tear of Asha Vision


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
B. Unique Warlock Abilities (UAS)
---------------------------------

Some of the Warlock's skill paths are broken, so avoid them like a Decay
spell on your Blood Furies.


*** Aura of Swiftness ***
+1 speed for all troops in hero's command.
Requires: Advanced Leadership, Recruitment
My Rating: 7/10

Now if there's something Hydras and Minotaurs need to do to be more
menacing, they should go to the gym and run on treadmills. This is the
next best thing, making your armies move further in combat... so Blood
Furies and Dark Lizards and Black Dragons can attack almost anyone they
want... anytime...

This also has the side-effect of speeding up hero movement in the
adventure map. All in all, a useful skill for the Warlock with
Leadership.


*** Counterspell ***
(to be confirmed)
Requires: (impossible to get as of patch 1.00)
No rating.


*** Dark Revelation ***
+1 level. Free!
Requires: Advanced Enlightenment, Arcane Intuition
My Rating: 5/10

While this is useful, I'd rather have Intelligence for my Warlocks. But
if you're not a fan of Scholar, you'll go through Arcane Intuition which
leads you to this.

Just make sure to pick D.R. when your hero is higher-level, around 15+.


*** Dark Renewal ***
When a spell is resisted, you refund all the mana required to cast it.
Requires: Advanced Dark Magic, Master of Mind
My Rating: 4/10

For Warlocks into Dark and Destruction spells, Dark Renewal is just
the thing to get mana back from your Puppet Master or Implosion spell
that just fizzled.

Knowledge of the opponent's creatures, leveling strategy and artifacts
picked up must be taken into account before you even consider this
skill.


*** Death March ***
When attacking a castle, a hero's troops will get +4 speed.
Requires: Expert Logistics, Teleport Assault*, Dark Ritual
My Rating: 2/10

Come to think of it, we only have "1" flying unit... this makes Death
March less useful for us than for other factions. Perhaps a
combination of this and Basic War Machines -> Catapult is in order?
But now that's two abilities that work in sieges only. NO WAY.


*** Erratic Mana ***
Hero can rebate up to 50% of mana points from casting a spell. Amount
of mana returned is random.
Requires: Advanced Enlightenment, Mana Regeneration
My Rating: 8/10

The next best thing to pumping a Warlock's mana total is to save from
the spell cost. A recommended skill since Sorcery is a good choice
anyway.

Despite what the in-game description says, this skill works more like
a REBATE rather than a DISCOUNT. You need to have enough mana to cast
the spell in the first place before this saves you mana.

Arcane Training (the discount) stacks AGAINST Erratic Mana, because with
the reduced spell cost you potentially rebate less mana points. So pick
only one of them, whichever you prefer.


*** Exorcism ***
Hero's destructive spells deal 2x damage against summoned or gated
units.
Requires: Advanced Summoning Magic, Master of Conjuration
My Rating: 5/10, 8/10 if fighting Inferno

If you know your opponent is training a hero with Summoning Magic
or against Inferno players, Exorcism will give you a big edge against
them so you can get rid of Phoenix or Elementals or "free units"
faster.


*** Mana Burst ***
Anytime an enemy caster army casts a spell, they take fire damage.
Damage is based on hero level.
Requires: Advanced Destruction Magic, Power of Haste*,
          Secrets of Destruction*
My Rating: 2/10

This doesn't do too much damage to be useful. This is only for
punishing opponents who like to split caster armies.


*** Plague Tent ***
Lets your First Aid Tent target and damage opponent's armies.
For Warlocks, there is a catch though...
Requires: Expert War Machines, Tremors*
My Rating: 0/10

Oh please. You can't get the First Aid skill if you have this, so you
never control the tent. BUT WAIT! The tent never targets the opponent's
armies when it's automatic.

This will be fixed in the next patch, hopefully.


*** Power of Endurance ***
Free 0-cost Endurance spell for hero. You need Master of Abjuration
from Light Magic to get Mass Endurance.
Requires: Advanced Defense, Vitality
My Rating: 4/10, 6/10 if fighting Inferno (because of mana drain)

This is not too useful as Power of Speed, since the effect of non-mass
Endurance can be avoided by the opponent (as in attack another creature
instead). If your Warlock runs out of mana, though, it may be helpful
to have a 0-cast spell.

If you're not into Protection or Evasion though, you might consider
this.


*** Power of Speed ***
Free 0-cost Haste spell for hero. No, it's not Mass Haste unless you
have Light Magic -> Master of Wrath.
Requires: Advanced Attack, Tactics
My Rating: 7/10, 9/10 if fighting Inferno (because of mana drain)

Slapping Haste on your Hyrdas is somewhat useful...
Slapping Haste on your Blood Furies... OMG...

Still, Haste is a level 1 spell and it is likely that:
A. We'll have it in our mage guild or some level 1 shrine out there
B. We'll get it from our enemy's castle when we take it over

But then, if we can cast it for no cost, it will free up our mana
for the important things in a Warlock's life: Destructive spells.


*** Refined Mana ***
Caster armies use up only 1/2 mana cost when casting spells.
Requires: Advanced Light Magic, Master of Wrath
My Rating: 8/10

Refined Mana is not for everyone.

But if you love to split your Shadow Witches/Matriarchs... then this perk
is for you. Have fun slapping multiple Righteous Might and Confusion
spells here and there...


*** Resistance ***
Hero gets +2 defense rating.
Requires: (impossible to get as of patch 1.00)
No rating.


*** Retribution ***
Troops deal more damage based on Morale total. I'm sure it's a
percentage but the exact formula is currently unknown.
Requires: Expert Attack, Power of Speed*
My Rating: 8/10

Because Battle Frenzy and Archery aren't too useful for a Warlock
due to low troop counts and ineffective ranged options respectively,
(and the fact that Tactics and Power of Speed are good picks as well)
you have space for Retribution, and you will appreciate its extra
damage. Use this in conjunction with Leadership for best results.


*** Secrets of Destruction ***
Hero gets +2 knowledge and a free damage spell of level 1, 2 or 3.
Requires: Dark Ritual, Basic Destructive Magic
My Rating: 8/10

Warlocks usually can't get their Knowledge up and the game usually
ends up screwing them out of mana points. You can get this skill
easily early in the scenario and the +2 Knowledge WILL matter. Most
Warlocks follow the path of Destructive magic anyway, so you must take
advantage of this ability.


*** Tear of Asha Vision ***
If you have this skill and dig reasonably close to where the Tear of
Asha actually is, you have a good chance to get it.
Requires: Expert Luck, Warlock's Luck*, Death March*
My rating: 1/10

If you thought Death March was limited use, this is even more limited
than that. It's only useful in maps with Obelisks. The Tear of Asha
can help you break the standoff and win the map, but why hope to get
it when you can just place your sure bet on skills that will actually
help you win, such as Destructive Magic, Attack, Defense, Sorcery...


*** Teleport Assault ***
Free Teleport spell. Any creature teleported by the hero usually gets
to act almost immediately.
Requires: Advanced Logistics, Scouting
My Rating: 9/10

Opponents aren't usually afraid of our Hydras... unless they magically
appear right next to their ranged stacks... now that will scare them out
of their saddles.

In addition, there's the use of teleporting Blood Furies out of harm's
way, teleporting Dark Raiders to the back of the battlefield so they
can charge into the opponent again for their "jousting bonus"...

Since I would recommend Logistics for every hero  out there,
Teleport Assault shouldn't be too far away. Don't pass this up.


*** Tremors ***
Free Earthquake spell which suddenly gains the ability to damage and
stun creatures. The damage isn't Armageddon, but...
Requires: Advanced War Machines, Catapult
My Rating: 4/10

Unfortunately, Earthquake can only be cast during sieges, so if you think
you can use this like Necromancers in Heroes 3 use Death Ripple, don't.

Limited use, but gives you a tremendous advantage in a castle siege.


*** Twilight ***
+3 Spellpower when casting Light and Dark Magic spells.
Requires: Expert Light Magic, Refined Mana*, Dark Ritual
My Rating: 3/10

Well, if you want to make a master of bless and curse, here's a good
specialty to pick.


*** Wizard's Reward ***
A one-time bonus of +2 Spellpower. +1000 gold.
Requires: Expert Enlightenment, Dark Revelation*
My rating: 1/10

As I suspected, Wizards can't be trusted. Warlocks already have a lot of
spellpower, and that 1000 gold is practically worthless. Waste your
level-ups learning more worthwhile "skills" than this.


*** Warlock's Luck ***
Destructive spells can now be affected by Luck for double damage.
(As of Patch 1.00, Empowered Spells are not included.)
Requires: Advanced Luck, Soldier's Luck
My rating: 6/10

Whoo, if you believe in luck, then why not extend its effect to your
spells? The reason this thing isn't getting a higher score is that
Soldier's Luck is USELESS for Dungeon troops because none of them have
skills that have a chance to activate... except Shadow Matriarchs' close
range attack which is, well, you should be keeping our Matriarchs out of
harm's way anyway...

And the fact that it doesn't affect Empowered Spells make it less useful.
Let's see if this is altered in the next cycle of our moons (a.k.a the
next game patch).


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
C. Useful Skills (USK)
----------------------

We won't go through all the skills, but we'll discuss the skills that
matter for our Warlocks.

*** Attack -> Tactics

Tactics will let our Blood Furies start on the third row so they can
attack enemies on the opponent's back row. Don't forget that Attack skill
already pumps up the Blood Furies' damage, up to 30% at Expert level.

In addition, getting Tactics gets you started on the way to the
very useful Retribution special perk.


*** Dark Magic -> Master of Mind (-> Dark Renewal*)

MASS SLOW. Let the opponent's army be crippled in the face of our Blood
Furies, Dark Raiders, Assassins and Black Dragons.


*** Destructive Magic -> Master of Ice, Storms, Fire (pick 2)
                     (-> Secrets of Destruction)

It's good to have a variety of elemental types to choose from, so we can
exploit the enemy's elemental weaknesses.
Save the last slot for Secrets of Destruction and we're all set.

Exception: If you need the Banish perk, pick only one elemental mastery.


*** Enlightenment -> Intelligence

This will solve the Warlock's mana problem in one fell swoop. 50% more
mana is always good while Expert Enlightenment's +1 to a random attribute
every other level means on average, 25% more Knowledge...


*** Leadership -> Estates

Dungeon troops are expensive, and the extra income counts. Not to mention
that positive morale is good for all creatures who have more than half a
brain.


*** Light Magic -> Master of Wrath (-> Refined Mana*)

Mass Haste makes our slow troops more menacing and our fast troops far
more effective. You can also easily get into Refined Mana...


*** Logistics (-> Pathfinding)
              (-> Scouting -> Teleport Assault*)

Reach your enemy faster. Most so-called "heroes" run away when they see
the mighty Dungeon army, so make sure they have no escape.


*** Luck -> Magic Resistance
*** Defense -> Protection

If you're into luck, Magic Resistance will help. I can imagine that most
enemy casters love to pelt the Blood Furies with spells.

Add to the Protection if you're into defense as well, for maximum...
uh, "protection" against damaging spells.


*** Sorcery (-> Arcane Training)
            (-> Mana Regeneration -> Erratic Mana*)

Warlocks are all about casting spells, and what better way to help them
than by making them cast faster? Sorcery also has options to reduce the
casting costs of spells: a BIG additional help.

*** War Machines (-> Catapult)

If you think Tremors is crap, maybe you're right, but at least get the
Catapult skill, since it is almost necessary for a main attacking hero
because Dungeon doesn't have too many fliers and shooters. Since you
won't get Tremors, you might as well get First Aid and Ballista perks.
Get First Aid first then Catapult, in such a case.





===========================================================================
Section 5 (BUIL)
Town Structures
================

Our underground paradise won't build itself you know. How about studying
our building plans for our resort palace, hm?


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A. Price Listing (PLS)
----------------------

note: rare resources = mercury, crystals, sulfur, gems

Level 0:
** Village Hall - free
(Provides 500 gold per day and allows construction)
** Mage Guild (level 1) - 2000 gold, 5 wood, 5 ore
(Provides 3 first circle spells)
** + Mage Guild (lv 2) - 1000 gold, 5 wood, 5 ore, 1 each rare resources
(Provides 3 second circle spells)
** + Mage Guild (lv 3) - 1000 gold, 5 wood, 5 ore, 2 each rare resources
(Provides 3 third circle spells)
** + Mage Guild (lv 4) - 1000 gold, 5 wood, 5 ore, 5 each rare resources
(Provides 2 fourth circle spells)
** + Mage Guild (lv 5) - 1000 gold, 5 wood, 5 ore, 10 each rare resources
(Provides 2 fifth circle spells)
** Tavern - 500 gold, 5 wood
(Hire heroes, get info, increases defending troops morale by 1)
** Market - 500 gold, 5 wood
(Allows resource trading, more markets give cheaper rates)
** + Resource Silo - 5000 gold 5 ore
(Provides 1 sulfur per day)
** School of the Unseen Hand - 400 gold, 5 wood
(Recruit Scouts)
** + School of the Black Heart - 1200 gold, 5 wood
(Recruit Assassins)

Level 3:
** Town Hall - 2000 gold
(Provides 1000 gold per day)
** Altar of Elements - 2500 gold, 3 each rare resources
(Allows creatures to participate in Elemental Chains)
** + Altar of Primal Elements - 5000 gold, 5 ore
(+10% Elemental Chains damage)
** Blood Arena - 1000 gold, 5 ore
(Recruit Blood Maidens)
** + Blood Memorial - 2500 gold, 5 ore
(Recruit Blood Furies)
** Blacksmith - 1000 gold, 5 wood
(Provides Ammo Cart at normal price, others at triple price)

Level 6:
** Fort - 5000 gold, 10 wood
(Adds a wall)
** Ritual Pit - 1000 gold
(Sacrifice creatures for random additional growth for displayed creatures
 this week.)
** Trade Guild - 1000 gold, 5 wood, 5 ore
(Hero can purchase artifacts.)
** Labyrinth - 1200 gold, 5 wood, 10 ore
(Recruit Minotaurs)
** + Maze - 2500 gold, 10 ore, 5 sulfur
(Recruit Minotaur Guards)

Level 9:
** City Hall - 5000 gold
(Provides 2000 gold per day)
** Citadel - 5000 gold, 10 ore
(Adds the main tower and moat to the garrison, +50% creature growth)
** Hall of Intrigue - 1500 gold
(Warlocks you control get +1 knowledge for each Hall you own)
** Dark Enclosure - 2000 gold, 10 wood, 5 mercury, 5 sulfur
(Recruit Dark Raiders)
** + Grim Enclosure - 5000 gold, 5 mercury, 5 crystal, 5 sulfur
(Recruit Grim Raiders)
** Hissing Cavern - 2500 gold, 5 wood, 5 ore, 5 gems
(Recruit Hydras)
** + Rattling Cavern - 7000 gold, 5 wood, 5 ore, 5 crystal, 10 gems
(Recruit Deep Hydras)

Level 12:
** Castle - 5000 gold, 10 ore
(Adds the side towers to the garrison, +100% creature growth)
** Hall of Shadows - 5000 gold, 5 wood, 5 ore, 4 each rare resources
(Recruit Shadow Witches)
** + Palace of Shadows - 9000 gold, 5 wood, 5 ore, 5 each rare resources
(Recruit Shadow Matriarchs)
** Shipyard - 2000 gold, 20 wood
(Provides ships)

Level 15:
** Capitol - 10000 gold
(Provides 4000 gold per day, only one Capitol per game per player)
** Dragon Spire - 15000 gold, 10 ore, 10 crystal, 10 sulfur
(Recruit Shadow Dragons)
** + Dragon Pinnacle - 25000 gold, 15 crystal, 15 sulfur
(Recruit Black Dragons)
** Mother of Darkness - 1 Tear of Asha
(Extra gold, extra creature growth, Spell Power bonus for defending heroes)


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
B. Prerequisites Table (REQ)
----------------------------

Lv. 0
+------------+ +------------+ +------------+ +------------+ +------------+
|Village Hall| |Mage Guild  | |Tavern      | |Marketplace | |School of   |
|            | | (5 levels) | |            | |+ Resource  | |Unseen Hand |
|            | |            | |            | |  Silo      | |+ School of |
|            | |            | |            | |            | | Black Heart|
+------------+ +------------+ +------------+ +------------+ +------------+
      |              |                             |
Lv. 3 |              |                             |
+------------+ +------------+ +------------+       |        +------------+
|Town Hall   | |Altar of    | |Blood Arena |       |        |Blacksmith  |
|            | |Elements    | |+ Blood     |       |        |            |
|            | |+ Primal    | |  Memorial  |       |        |            |
|            | |  Elements  | |            |       |        |            |
+------------+ +----------- + +------------+       |        +------------+
      |                             |              |              |
Lv. 6 |                             |              |              |
      |        +------------+ +------------+ +------------+ +------------+
      |        |Fort        | |Ritual Pit  | |Trade Guild | |Labyrinth   |
      |        |            | |            | |            | |+ Maze      |
      |        |            | |            | |            | |            |
      |        |            | |            | |            | |            |
      |        +------------+ +------------+ +------------+ +------------+
      |              |                              
Lv. 9 |              |                              
+------------+ +------------+ +------------+ +------------+ +------------+
|City Hall   | |Citadel     | |Hall of     | |Dark        | |Hissing     |
|            | |            | |Intrigue    | |Enclosure   | |Cavern      |
|            | |            | |            | |+ Grim      | |+ Rattling  |
|            | |            | |            | |  Enclosure | |  Cavern    |
+------------+ +------------+ +------------+ +------------+ +------------+
      |              |              |
Lv. 12|              |              |
      |        +------------+ +------------+
      |        |Castle      | |Hall of     |
      |        |            | |Shadows     |
      |        |            | |+ Palace of |
      |        |            | |  Shadows   |
      |        +------------+ +------------+
      |
Lv. 15|
+------------+                +------------+                +------------+
|Capitol     |                |Dragon      |                |Mother of   |
|            |                |Spire       |                |Darkness    |
|            |                |+ Dragon    |                |            |
|            |                |  Pinnacle  |                |            |
+------------+                +------------+                +------------+


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
C. Suggested Build Order (BLD)
------------------------------

Don't forget that upgrades are more expensive than the actual dwelling
itself, so if given a choice between upgrading or building a new dwelling
pick the new dwelling. Exception is the Blood Memorial upgrade, which
should be built ASAP.

Level 0...
It's a good idea to build the Tavern (if not built) followed by Mage Guild
or School of Unseen Hand. I'd recommend the Guild first to give the hero
an edge in the first cheap battles.

And if we're talking about Day 1-2...
Hire another Warlock immediately, recruit Scouts from School of
Unseen Hand (if available), move all troops to the main hero.

Level 3...
Town Hall and Blood Arena are a must. Mage Guild (level 2) if needed.

Level 6...
Fort and Ritual Pit. Mage Guild (level 2) if not built yet. You can get
the Trade Guild and Labyrinth when you need them. You may skip Minotaurs
in favor of the more useful Dark Raiders if low on resources.

Level 9...
City Hall, Dark Enclosure, Hall of Intrigue.
Citadel if you have the excess ore, and Hissing Caverns when you have
excess resources. Some people like to have Hydras in random encounters
as tanks, so adjust accordingly.

Level 12...
Castle if you have the excess ore.
Hall of Shadows if you like Shadow Witches.
However, there is the strategy of saving resources for Dragon Spire...

Level 15...
Capitol is high on the list, followed by Dragon Spire if you can afford
it.

If you have an extra town, try to keep them on even or near-even levels;
instead of gunning for a Capitol in one, try for a City Hall in both.





===========================================================================
Section 6 (ARMY)
The Dark Elf Legion
===================

I've decided not to go into stats since they can be viewed in-game or with
your creature cards for you people with the Collector's Edition. I will
discuss general strategies with them...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A. Creatures (CST)
------------------

Level 1 - Scouts / Assassins

Scouts and Assassins can be used as ranged units, however they suffer 1/2
damage penalty than if they use their melee attack. So if the enemy is in
walking range, hold Ctrl for a melee attack and more damage.

In addition, Assassins get a useful poison attack so shoot any enemy that
isn't poisoned yet. It doesn't work on Undead but it does work on enemy
Black Dragons!

They have decent initiative so expect to see them attack early.

Because of their low ammo total of 5, an ammo cart will be useful.


Level 2 - Blood Maidens / Blood Furies

Blood Maidens are USELESS. Try to save them before they're upgraded and
don't have them attack any enemies that can dwindle their numbers.

Blood Furies, on the other hand, are one of our most elite units...
with their high initiative and speed, they attack far and attack often.
Their Strike and Return along with No Retaliation make them a force to
be reckoned with, as if there were a ranged unit with no range penalty.

If the hero has Tactics ability, BF's can start on the third row of
squares so they can reach the opponent's creatures on their back row.

Weaknesses include low HP and defense, so be sure to guard these troops
with anything you've got.

Unlike Heroes 3's Harpies, they don't fly, so walls and obstacles will
stop them. But BF's are already that much better than Harpies.


Level 3 - Minotaurs / Minotaur Guards

The Minotaurs' morale is at a minimum of +1.

With an OK HP rating and a low defense, speed and initiative rating...
nevertheless, Minotaurs make good guards for our ranged attackers and
Blood Furies.

They have trouble making it into battle when forced to charge against
the enemy, so help them out with Haste or Teleport.

Minotaur Guards get +4 HP and the double attack skill over the original,
a worthy upgrade after upgrading more important troops such as Blood
Fury, Dark Raider and Assassin.


Level 4 - Dark Raider / Grim Raider

One of the less interesting units in the Dark Elf army, in terms of
design, that is.

Dark and Grim Raiders have the Rider Charge skill, which cuts enemy
defense by 20% for every square they move before attacking. They're no
Cavaliers, but that ability makes them very well suited for attacking.

Raiders are good against neutrals and mine guards but watch out because
they drop like rocks from the ceiling if the enemy is given a chance to
gang up on them.

Statistically, Dark Raiders are pathetic in terms of damage, attack,
defense compared to other level 4's. The Grim Raiders on the other hand
have vastly improved stats, including +2 speed and 50% more hitpoints,
so upgrade ASAP.

In addition, Grim Raiders get the ability Lizard Bite which lets them
attack adjacent enemies (for 1/2 damage) if any other creature in your
army attacks them with melee attacks. Perfect for ganging up on enemies
in conjunction with Blood Fury's "ranged melee" or MINOTAUR GUARD'S
DOUBLE ATTACK. Ouch.


Level 5 - Hydras / Deep Hydras

Depending on the situation they can either be the most annoying creatures
ever, or the most useless creatures ever.

With massive HP, good defense and attack ratings and a no-retaliation
multi-attack (3-squares for Hydras and 6-squares for Deep Hydras) they
are a force to be reckoned with... but...

Hydras suffer from low speed and low initiative which prevents them from
easily getting to the other side. In addition, Hydras are some of the
most expensive level 5 creatures out there.

Deep Hydras offer an OVER 50% HP increase, more defense and the ability
to regenerate lost HP (even resurrecting dead units).


Level 6 - Shadow Witches / Shadow Matriarchs

A level 6 ranged unit? You're kidding. They're almost as cheesy as
Titans? Ok, they're not.

Being ranged units, Shadow Witches suffer from generally low stats
compared to other Level 6 creatures, except damage. So put that damage
to good use since our Dungeon doesn't have many good ranged options.

In addition, Shadow Witches can cast Slow, Vulnerability and Righteous
Might... so in most cases it's better to use the ranged attack. Shadow
Matriarchs can also cast the Confusion spell, perfect for crippling the
opponent's ranged attackers or powerful melee units that hit hard on
retaliation.

Shadow Witches and Matriarchs have a paltry 4 shots in their magazine,
so be sure to bring an Ammo Cart, or else...


Level 7 - Shadow Dragons / Black Dragons

Our top tier creature should be found in the dictionary, under the entry
"Ultimate". With the highest damage (45-70) nothing can stand up to our
Dragons one-on-one. And with such a high speed they can fly across the
battlefield and engage the enemy to tie up their ranged attackers or
destroy creatures with weak defenses.

Shadow Dragons aren't as strong as the Black Dragons, but they're not
immune to magic, so abuse the power-up spells on them.

In addition to their vastly improved stats, Black Dragons are immune to
almost all magic (exception: Fist of Wrath, indirect spell hits like Fire
Wall, and side-effects of attacks like Assassin's poison) which means
that they're that much tougher to beat. Unfortunately that means we
can't put Righteous Might on them... but that's not much of a big deal.

Don't forget about the Dragons' breath attack so take advantage of the
enemy's bunched up units... but don't put your units one square away
from your dragon because they might get fried!


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
B. Hiring and Upgrading Creatures (HIR)
---------------------------------------

If low on cash and forced to choose which creatures to pick up at the
beginning of a week, I'd say:
1. Dark/Grim Raiders
2. Shadow/Black Dragons
3. Blood Furies (don't hire Blood Maidens, ever)
4. Shadow Witches/Matriarchs
5. Scouts/Assassins
6. Minotaurs/Minotaur Guards
7. Hydras/Deep Hydras

Upgrading creatures...
If you want to upgrade, here's my suggestion for what upgraded
dwellings/creatures to build/upgrade first. Generally, focus on the
improvements that are most worth it for their cost.
1. Blood Furies
2. Grim Raiders
3. Assassins
4. Shadow Matriarchs
5. Black Dragons
6. Minotaur Guards
7. Deep Hydras





===========================================================================
Section 7 (RIDE)
The Journey Begins
==================

Every piece of land has a different feel to them. However, there are
several tactics that can apply to all maps.

If you find yourself lost, wondering what to do, I have some words of
advice for you.

General tips:
1. This applies not only to Dungeon armies, but to all armies: minimize
   losses as much as possible.
2. Use Quick Combat to speed up Neutral enemy encounters, but it usually
   requires replay because, for some reason, Blood Furies keep dying when
   the computer is controlling them.
3. Computer targets Blood Maiden/Fury often so it might be a good idea to
   keep them out of the battle against neutrals if the neutral stack is
   heavily disadvantaged.
4. Watch out, if the opponent is Level 10 or more and their army is weaker
   than yours, ambush them before your turn is up, otherwise they might
   use Summon Creatures and turn the tide!
5. Always try to find out your opponent's leveling or building strategy
   and try to counter it. For example, if they're heavily into destructive
   or curse spells, you may want to invest in Luck -> Magic Resistance for
   your hero.
   
Week 1:
1. It is a good idea to hire a secondary hero to help scout the area and
   provide more troops for your main hero.
2. When leaving the castle for the first time, look around the map and find
   the easiest enemies. There should be cheap level 1 enemies guarding some
   cheap mines and artifacts, so kill them first. Prioritize melee enemies
   first as ranged targets are guaranteed to destroy a sizable chunk of
   your BLOOD MAIDENS since you can't kill the enemy fast enough.
3. Experience shrines are important so use them.
4. Mage Guild level 1 early in the week helps your first hero a lot.

Week 2-4:
1. Upgrade to Blood Furies ASAP.
2. Once you acquire Dark Raiders or Hydras, try to kill the harder mine
   guards for rare resources.
3. Mage Guild Level 2 is cheap, so try to have it before your main hero
   leaves your lands.
4. If playing against a neighbor with slow units (e.g. Inferno, Academy,
   Necro), feel free to threaten their hero if they wander into your
   lands. Also try taking their mines.
5. If playing against Haven's "Griffin speed" or Sylvan's ranged options,
   stay away from their hero and continue building up your town and army.
6. Once the main hero reaches Level 10, prioritize a Level 3 Mage Guild to
   get the Summon Creatures spell.
7. It would be a good idea to scout your opponent's castle as much as
   possible so to check up on their progress (you'll be able to monitor
   the garrison and hopefully their hero) and see if you can attack them
   or if they're getting prepared to attack.
8. Less expensive armies like Necro or Haven or Sylvan might try to attack
   you early or deny you control of mines to prevent you from building up.
   Watch out for these early attacks and play defensively.
9. Some Dungeon players skip Hydras this early for their army. However,
   it's also a good idea to leave the Hissing Caverns built to build up
   Hydra totals.

Week 5-8:
1. If there are opportunities (e.g. multiple experience stones, stat-ups,
   enemies spawning, unexplored areas) try to level up a second hero.
2. The longer the game gets, the more powerful Dungeon's army gets, but
   don't be cocky and be careful in the big battle especially since
   Dungeon's ranged options are limited and Blood Furies easily fall to
   Master Hunters, Inquisitors and Succubi.
3. Never ever underestimate the power of Hydras and Minotaurs.




===========================================================================
Section 8 (WAR-)
The Field of Battle
===================

Strategy is the key. Outmaneuver your opponent and victory will be yours!
Unlesss they have a bigger army that is...

General tips:
1. When it's your turn, prioritize attacking enemy stacks with No
   Retaliation ability or any ranged attackers since they probably won't
   get damaged if you don't use your turn to attack them.
2. Moving your stacks next to ranged attackers forces them to use melee,
   but this doesn't prevent spellcasters from using their spells!
3. Despite what the computer does, don't ever put your blood furies next
   to the opponent's ranged attackers. They're not tanks.
4. Knowing that you have Blood Furies, the enemy will usually go on an
   all-out assault with their melee troops (unless they're Sylvan), as
   well as inundate them with destructive spells. So prepare for this
   and accept the losses of your precious half-naked buxom babes.
5. Don't underestimate the power of your own Hydras and Minotaurs. Lead
   the melee attack with them.
6. Don't be careless with Grim Raiders. They can go all the way to the
   other side and do a powerful attack with their Rider Charge, but if
   they don't have support they will drop like flies.
7. A favorite tactic is to use Phantom Forces on ranged troops or No
   Retaliation troops. Try not to waste turns attacking fake troops if
   possible, or use Minotaur Guard's attack to have a better chance.
   Alternatively, cast Fireball or some area effect spell with your
   hero to avoid wasting turns. Summon Elemental also works well if
   you get Water Elementals or even Air Elementals.
8. Mass Slow or Fireball (with Mastery) is good to start the big battle
   with. Also consider Frenzy or Puppet Master or Chain Lightning.
9. Human players usually put their ranged attackers in the corner, so
   take this into account when fighting them.
10. Don't underestimate the ballista. Please. Especially Ballistas
    controlled by Knights or Rangers. It hurts a lot.
11a. Exploit the enemy's elemental weaknesses whenever possible. The
     extra damage counts. Keep an eye on the ATB bar and take note of
     enemy elements. Otherwise, right click on a target to check their
     current element.
11b. Don't forget that attacking an enemy creature changes their element
     randomly. This might open them up to further bonus damage from your
     next army.

Dungeon vs Haven:
1. Focus on Archers/Marksmen and Crusaders/Paladins first. Peasants last.
2. Don't forget that Footmen/Squires take 1/2 damage from ranged attacks,
   but you can usually leave them for last.
3. Defeat Griffin Unlimited Retaliation ability with your ranged options,
   Blood Fury or Hydras.
4. Watch out when the Imperial Griffins' turn is coming up. Haven players
   love to Battle Dive with them. Move the Blood Furies out of the way
   since they have fast turns anyway.
5. It all hinges on the tactics phase. I hope you didn't put your Blood
   Furies or Grim Raiders within range of their Cavaliers... :|

Dungeon vs Sylvan:
1. Kill the Hunters first. At 10 HP they're easy to kill with spells or
   ranged options. Pixies and Sprites should be next on your list.
2. Don't bunch up your troops during Tactics if they have Druid Elders.
   (And Sylvan heroes usually have Destruction as a skill so...)
3. It is risky to cast spells on opposing armies when they're around
   Unicorns. The spells could be resisted.
4. Sylvan's high initiative kills, but Mass Slow or Ice/Lightning spells
   combined with mastery will delay their turns. Also, Assassin's poison,
   Mass Decay spell or Lethos' specialty are perfect against fast
   creatures.
5. Treants are massive tanks, but you're forced to attack with your melee.
   I hope you have Slow, Frenzy or Puppet Master...
6. Watch out for the Unicorn's Blind attack.
7. The Ranger hero's Deadeye Shot can slay massive amounts of your
   creatures. I hope their favored enemy isn't Blood Furies. :(

Dungeon vs Academy:
1. Shoot and cast all kinds of killing spells on their Djinn since they
   have low HP.
2. Kill off the Rakshasa next since their No Retaliation ability is
   annoying. Prioritize Mages next.
3. Do not kill off any Golems before killing off all Master Gremlins as
   M.G.'s can repair the Golems... from ANYWHERE on the map.
4. Titans are very annoying. They have No Melee Penalty so don't even
   think about getting close to them.
5. Using Frenzy or Puppet Master on the opponent's Mages works wonders.
6. Gargoyles have low attack but high defense, so kill them last. They
   can easily get close to your ranged options though, so have Minotaurs
   or Hydras pummel them.
7. Don't forget that Mages can damage everything in a line, so avoid
   "lining up".

Dungeon vs Inferno:
1. Inferno players usually Gate troops at the start of the match, so
   don't leave your ranged attackers and Blood Furies unguarded.
2. Succubus Mistress can cause a lot of damage especially if the hero's
   Hellfire ability triggers. Kill them first, but try not to use your
   ranged attackers. (Hint: Use Blood Furies nyahaha.)
3. Cerberus has No Retaliation and multi-attack ability but have low
   defense. Blood Furies and ranged options should take them out.
4. Next on the hit list would be Hell Chargers/Nightmares then Devils.
   Pit Fiends/Lords and Demons are slow, so leave them for last.
5. Familiars sap your mana at the start of the match, there's nothing
   you can do about it. After that they can safely be ignored.
6. Some people teleport their Horned Overseers so they can use their
   explosion special ability. Watch out for this.
7. A lot of their high-initiative creatures can be punished with Mass
   Decay, Assassin poison or Lethos' special skill.
8. Clones of Infernal units via Phantom Forces can use the Gate ability!
   This is a pretty sick glitch. I hope it gets fixed soon, but before
   it's fixed, try your best to kill the clones ASAP.

Dungeon vs Necropolis:
1. A majority of curse spells don't work on them, but Slow and Weakness
   both work so use them to cripple their army. Or just use Destructive
   spells instead.
2. It is always a good idea to slap Slow on their Skeleton Archers. If
   not, just blast them with your Ice/Lightning spells if you have
   mastery and delay their turn...
3. After slowing down their Archers, take out their important and faster
   troops first: Vampire Lords, Dragons, Wights/Wraiths. You can leave
   Ghosts/Spectres for last (or kill them instead with your hero through
   Destructive spells).
4. Undead are immune to poison, so I would use the Assassins as a melee
   unit for maximum damage. Charge them at the enemy and make sure they
   regret underestimating their melee attack.
5. Always remember that Liches have Death Cloud ability so avoid bunching
   up your troops.
6. They usually have the Raise Dead spell, but there's nothing you can do
   about it except just kill their troops faster with your spells.

Dungeon vs Dungeon:
1. There's a lot of luck involved in the tactics phase, especially after
   you press that go button. I hope your Blood Furies go first. Otherwise
   just pray that their Blood Furies and/or Grim Raiders are not within
   range of your vulnerable troops. Le sigh.
2. Your Assassin's poison works well on the enemy's high-initiative
   Blood Furies, Grim Raiders and Assassins. Also try Mass Decay.
3. Top hit list: Blood Fury, Grim Raider, Shadow Witch, Assassin
   Alternatively, you can gang up on their Shadow/Black Dragons and use
   Destructive or Dark spells on the rest.
4. Many Dungeon players try to use Teleport on their Hydras. Casting Slow
   on the already slow Hydras will mean they won't even get a turn once
   in a blue moon. They also love to follow up Teleport with Phantom
   Forces. Fortunately, many early attacking Dungeon heroes don't have
   Hydras in them, but they might try to teleport their Minotaurs...
5. Try not to have troops next to their Grim Raiders unless you plan to
   gang up and kill them off quickly. Lizard Bite is truly devastating in
   combination with Blood Furies and Minotaurs.

Castle Siege:
1a. No matter how tempting it is to do it, don't even think for a moment
    you can throw the Black Dragon inside and slaughter everything. 
1b. Because of the Dungeon's lack of ability to get inside, human players
    usually hole up inside. Make them pay for it with Destructive spells,
    Frenzy/Puppet Master, Earthquake, Teleport.
2a. Good skills for a siege include War Machines -> Catapult -> Tremors
    and Logistics -> Pathfiniding -> Teleport Assault.
2b. Earthquake (with Tremors) will force them to come out of their
    hidey-holes. Combine this with the Assassin's poison.
2c. Teleporting "expendable tanks" like Hydras inside the castle is
    generally a good idea.
3.  Cripple their ranged attackers with Confusion spells. Shadow
    Matriarchs have that spell, so split armies if you have space.
4.  The towers don't have any penalty for range, so don't be afraid to
    approach, just don't get too close past the half of the screen to let
    their ranged units have a penalty.
5.  Don't forget that the defending troops can walk through the "moat"
    without damage or other ill effects.
6.  While waiting for them to come out, here's little setup to ensure that
    your armies can gang up on any comers but make it hard for them to gang
    up on you: Place one of your tougher melee troops on one of the A's...
    or on all of the a's if large. Your other armies could be near or
    around that spot.

    A - where you could put a small-sized unit
    a's and A's - where you could put a large-sized unit
    | - wall     X - moat    G - castle gate

                      .....X|
                      .....X|
                      ..aA..G
                      ..aA..G
                      .....X|
                      .....X|





===========================================================================
Section 9 (ELEM)
Elemental Chains
================

Elemental "Chains" allow our creatures and spells to do more damage against
the opponent's armies.

Basic rules:
1. Only Warlocks with Elemental Vision can exploit elemental weaknesses
   with spells.
2. Only Warlocks with Elemental Vision and at least one city with Altar of
   Elements built can have his/her creatures exploit elemental weaknesses.
3. No other hero types deal extra damage for attacks and spells involving
   opposite elements.

There are four elements in the game and they're shown on the creature's
icon on the ATB bar. If they're not on the ATB bar yet, the creature's
element can be viewed via right-click info (text only, no icon).

Fire (a flame symbol)
Water (a water drop)
Air (what looks like a block of white ice)
Earth (brown spiky mountains)

Fire is the opposite of Water.
Air is the opposite of Earth.

You get around N% extra damage from the following actions:
1. Attacking an enemy with your army which is of the opposite element
   as the enemy.
2. Casting a damage spell on an enemy creature of the opposite element of
   the Destructive damage spell, spells outside of the Destructive school
   of magic have no element. Yes, even Fire Trap and Fire Wall (I think).

Where N% is based on the level of your Warlock's Irresistibile Magic...
Basic - 5%
Advanced - 10%
Expert - 15%
Ultimate - 20%

The extra damage percentage is improved (numerically) by 10% for each
Altar of Primal Elements built in your domain. (So for a hero with
Advanced Irrisitible Magic and 1 Primal Elements altar built, s/he gets a
total of 20% bonus damage.)

Any time that the enemy is hit by the opposite element, their elements
change randomly to another element.

Ultimate skill "Rage of the Elements" doubles the bonus damage done by
"chaining".

Spell elements:
Eldritch Arrow - Fire
Stone Spikes - Earth
Ice Bolt - Water
Lightning Bolt - Air
Fireball - Fire
Circle of Winter - Water
Meteor Shower - Earth
Chain Lightning - Air
Armageddon - Fire
Implosion - Earth

(Some parts paraphrased from heroesofmightandmagic.com's page on Elemental
Chains.)





===========================================================================
Section 10 (Q&A-)
Question and Answer Portion
===========================

Some questions and clarifications to the game system that may be important
to Dungeon players (and other players too).

1. What's this Good Hero, Evil Hero, Good Troops, Evil Troops thingy and
   how does it affect Morale?

Good: Haven, Sylvan, Academy
Evil: Dungeon, Necropolis, Inferno

If a good hero leads evil troops, evil troops will get an additional -3
morale. If an evil hero leads good troops, the good troops will suffer
-3 morale penalty. There are exceptions for troops with certain special
abilities (like undead, mechanical, bravery etc.)...

This is in addition to the classic Heroes morale modifiers:
+1 for troops of 1 alignment
-1 for troops of 3 alignments
-2 for troops of 4 alignments, etc.


2. How do I find/dig the Tear of Asha?

A common beginner's question that is answered in the manual, but I'll
clarify it here since the manual isn't too clear about it. Stupid manual.

Once you've revealed a sizable portion of the puzzle map (if there's at
least 1 obelisk), turn the camera facing NORTH, and look for the portion
of the map that matches the puzzle map. Note any landmarks on the puzzle
map such as plants, crystals or hopefully even buildings or cities.

You don't really need to reveal the entire puzzle map to be able to figure
out the location of the Tear of Asha, but if you get all obelisks, then
you will see a symbol which pinpoints the exact location of the "Holy
Grail". X marks the spot, doesn't it?

Move your hero to the area and STOP where you think the Tear should be,
end his turn. At the BEGINNING of the next day, make sure the hero HAS NOT
MOVED, and the "Dig" button will be available. Click it or press the D
button to dig in the spot where the hero is standing.

If the Tear is right on that spot, the game will declare that you've found
it and it will be added to the hero's inventory. If not, it will say
something like "The Tear is Northwest of this location" but won't tell you
how close you are...

If the hero has the "Tear of Asha Vision" ability you can dig reasonably
near where the Tear of Asha actually is and still dig it up.





===========================================================================
Section 11 (HIST)
Revision History
=================

*** v1.3 - June 22, 2006 ***
Castle Siege tips added.
Added War Machines -> Catapult to useful skills.

*** v1.2 - June 14, 2006 ***
Even more grammar and spelling fixes (thanks Mike Elder)
You only need Altar of Elements (not Primal Elements) to Elemental Chain
    with creatures. Fixed.
Lethos confirmed.

*** v1.1 - June 10, 2006 ***
Grammar and spelling and Necropolis references fixes
Corrected Attack -> Tactics advice under useful skills
   (it makes Tactics all the better to pick)

*** v1.0 - June 6, 2006 ***
(The Omen.)
Initial release based on Necro guide





===========================================================================
Section 12 (END-)
Ending Credits
=================

Thanks go to...

The Reader... this means you!


celestialheavens.com
     I used Aurelain's Skill Wheel a lot to learn about hero skills
     and their prerequisites. It's a highly recommended resource. :)

heroesofmightandmagic.com
     Another useful information page.

my job
     Otherwise I won't have money to buy Heroes...

God
     Otherwise, well, I wouldn't be able to type anything haha... and
     it's customary for me. He might not like it if I didn't thank him.

CONTRIBUTORS!
Mike Elder - multiple grammar and spelling corrections



===========================================================================
Section 13 (INFO)
Contact Info
=================

alias: Robo Mike
location: Manila, Philippines
devArt page: http://pencil-sketch-badger.deviantart.com/
e-mail: Whoops, don't email me your questions. Just post at the GameFAQs/
        Gamespot forums and we'll answer your questions faster than if
        you email me. Be sure to look through the first few pages and
        maybe your question has already been answered...

        If you wish to submit contributions or corrections to the FAQ
        be sure to send an email to mercenary_badger@y!.com (replace
        y! with yahoo) with the subject "Heroes 5 Necro Guide" or
        something similar. Be sure to quote your sources if any. AND
        I'M GOING TO REPEAT IT RIGHT HERE, DON'T SEND ME QUESTIONS.
        Thanks!

message:
Thank you to all the people who emailed me saying they appreciated the
humor I wrote. That writing did take a while. The most difficult part
was thinking of a b-word to go with "rich", but doesn't rhyme with it.
It took me hours to come up with "Benefactor". :)


Looking for Contributions (most important only):
1. Tips against opposing armies (town-specific strategies).